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Welcome to the LYLAS blog! We are so glad to have you here!

Thank-You Notes

Personal, hand-written thank-you notes are a must for graduation gifts, recommendations, teas, and so much more! If you need guidance, use the rules and template below for help!

Rules:

  1. Always send a hand-written note
  2. Use personalized stationery
  3. Write with blue or black ink
  4. Be personal
  5. Use your best handwriting

Template:

  1. Date: Put the date in the upper right corner of the card. Example: June 1, 2024
  2. Greeting: Always begin by addressing the individual by name. Use the name you call the person and follow it with a comma. For example: Dear Mrs. Williams, Dear Dr. Montiel, or Dear Aunt Charlotte, *When a gift comes from more than one person, address the note to the person who you think bought the gift (usually the mom or wife), and then include anyone else in the first line of your note (spouse, children).
  3. Reason: The body of your letter should begin with the reason you are writing. This usually begins with the words “thank you.” For example, Thank you for the monogrammed towels you and your family gave me for graduation.
  4. Appreciation: Follow up your opening with the reason you appreciate the gift or how it will be useful. The monogrammed towels will look so pretty with my room decor. OR I will use the monogrammed laundry bag every week as I haul my dirty clothes to the laundromat!
  5. Gratitude: End with a statement about how much you appreciate this person’s thoughtfulness, effort, or place in your life. For example, say something like: I sincerely appreciate your generosity. OR I appreciate you celebrating in my joy. OR I am grateful for our relationship.
  6. Closing: Say something to close your letter. Oftentimes, your university’s motto is appropriate (War Eagle! Go Vols! Roll Tide! Hotty Toddy!) You may also want to say something about how much you are looking forward to college or recruitment (I am so excited for freshman year! I can’t wait for Recruitment!)
  7. Conclusion: Beneath the date, about 3/4 of the way to the right margin, conclude the letter by using a closing statement such as Sincerely, Yours truly, Love, or Best wishes, and then sign your name on the next line below it using your signature.

Mailing:

On the outside of the envelope, center the name and address of the person to whom you are writing. Do not use abbreviations!

  1. Title and Name: Doctor and Mrs. Williams
  2. Street Address: 1234 Great Street
  3. City, State: Montgomery, Alabama 36117
  4. 36117 (optional-can go on line 3 or centered on line 4)

Write your name and return address (just like 1-4 above) in the upper left corner of the front of the envelope or centered on the back of the envelope.

Make sure you seal the envelope, stamp it, and put it in the mail!

___________________________________________________________________________

Recruitment Stories

Jeanie

As an incoming freshman to Auburn, I was just as excited and nervous as everyone else was about Rush. I knew I wanted to be in a sorority, but I didn’t know much about the process. I knew I needed clothes, and I’d vaguely heard something about recommendations. My mom had not been in a sorority, and she felt as lost as I was. Luckily, one of her dear friends guided us through the process. She helped prepare me for what to expect, what to wear, and how to navigate Rush Week. My experience was positive; I found a home away from home full of wonderful people, many of whom became my best friends. As a member, our advisors loved all of us like we were their own, and we knew we could call on them when we needed wisdom and advice. Being in a sorority was a tremendous blessing for me, and I will always be grateful for the help I received beforehand. I felt much more confident and less nervous with it, and it eased the anxiety of what is inevitably an extremely stressful process! That experience is partly why I love the idea of Recruitment Consulting. It gives everyone an opportunity to have expert advice and feel prepared going into the week!

Maddy Grace

My recruitment journey began at Auburn University in 2018. I can remember feeling so excited but also so nervous for what the process would be like. My mom was in a sorority, and I knew girls from my high school that had rushed the year before, but I still had no clue what to expect. Being from Montgomery, Alabama, recruitment was something everyone seemed to do after graduating from high school, so I always knew I would do the same. I sat down and watched “my sorority recruitment experience” videos on YouTube just about every day during the summer because I felt a sense of comfort from it, but situations can feel so much different when you’re there than when you’re watching it on a screen. When the time came, I had a whirlwind of an experience. Things didn’t go exactly the way I expected, but, in the end, I couldn’t imagine it going any other way than the way it did. Chances are when you’re going through recruitment, you’ll hear, “you’ll end up where you’re meant to be,” and it’s so true. I gained so many friendships and opportunities from joining Tri Delta and wouldn’t have had it any other way. During my sophomore year at Auburn, I decided that I wanted to transfer to the University of Alabama. With that, it meant that I could join Tri Delta there, and so I decided to do that. I felt like I was going through freshman year all over again, and essentially, I was joining an entirely new sorority that’s part of the largest Greek system in the US. I also transferred during COVID, so making new friends didn’t seem like the easiest thing in the world when you’re supposed to be distancing yourself from others. However, that was the exact opposite of what I experienced, and the girls made me feel so welcomed and included. I’ve always had a passion for mentoring and been a role model to girls younger than me, and so my senior year, I decided to become a Sigma Rho Chi, a recruitment counselor on Alabama’s Panhellenic Recruitment Team. I believe being able to see the different sides of rush and experiencing it at two different schools will help me guide potential PNMs to their future Chapters!

COB

If you or your daughter did not find her home during formal sorority recruitment, there are other ways to get involved and meet new people. Continuous Open Bidding, or COB, is one way to join a sorority after the formal recruitment week. Many sororities participate in COB throughout the year; some offer opportunities in the fall and spring, others only in the spring, and still others without the help and advertisement of Panhellenic. You can sign up for COB through Panhellenic, and the sororities participating will receive your name and contact information. Be sure to look out for COB events on the Panhellenic socials so you can attend and learn more!